By Jung Min-ho
It may be the beauty-and-the-beast role-playing psychology that draws fans to the brutal sport of mixed martial arts (MMA), making it one of the fastest-growing sports.
Muscled men with crew cuts and gloves that only cover their knuckles play the beasts. The biggest MMA promoter, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has ranked No. 1 in pay-per-view revenue across the world over the past few years.
The beauties, often scantily clad, show the next round with a big sign above their heads. They are “Octagon girls” named after the shape of the ring where the combat martial artists fight.
Park Si-hyun, Lee A-rin, Ju Da-ha and Kim Ha-yul ― four Road FC octagon girls ― are not just pretty faces but part of a sophisticated sports machine that generate a great deal of revenue.
“I believe the name Road FC has become my brand. Many people instantly recall Arianny Celeste when they think about UFC, and I want to be the name people instantly associate with Road FC,” Ju, 26, said. “I want to be successful as a promoter of both the organization and MMA.”
In the arena filled with yelling fans and tough guys, it takes some nerve to take over the ring during breaks. Lee, 26, said she was too frightened to even be around the ring when she started the job a couple of years ago.
“At the beginning of my career at Road FC, I really didn’t expect that I would enjoy the MMA matches as much as I do now,” she said. “Soon after, however, I found myself engrossed in the exciting fights in the ring, making bets on who would win.”
Lee said changes also have been occurring in the audience demographics over the past couple of years.
“I see far more female fans nowadays and their reactions have become much more intense,” she said. “I guess they have finally realized how much fun the sport actually is.”
As the old saying goes, nothing good comes easy. Working as a ring girl actually takes much more than just walking around with a big sign.
“The toughest thing of this job is probably that you always have to give the best smile in the ring regardless of your personal life and feelings at that moment,” Kim, 26, said. “As a model, we also have to take care of our bodies to stay fit. For some people, it is for health, but for us, it is for our profession.”
When asked about what it takes to be good ring girls, Park said it is important to know how to attract people’s attention and have determination in your work, saying that she is proud to be part of the “Road FC girl family.”
“I have been offered work in show business many times and I was really serious about doing it for a while. But, now, I’m pretty sure this is what I want to do,” Park said.